Break of Dawn
by BobWhite
Summary: A girl is sent to stay with Denise and her husband.
1. Aaron Smith

**Full Summary:**

Aaron Smith has been sent to Ft. Marshal for the summer. Will she fit in? And what happens when her dance troupe shows up for the Charleston Dance Competition? Will she finally be able to have fun this summer?

**Aaron Smith:**

**The Summer Before:**

Khait, Finney, Alex, Paige, Taylor, Wilson, Peter, Cameron, Casey, Max, Carson, Raisa, Teala, Dreamer, Corna, John, Daniel, Brock, Jani, Lee, Lynn, Makemba, Trevor, Charlie, Randy, Zarq, Chet, Zach, Zachena, Deon, Dante, Joseph, Ashera, Spirit, Kinsale, Mark, Dan, Jackson, Keeza & I had been dancing together since we had met, six years ago. We had gone from simple step dancing to full-blown hip-hop & rap dancing. We were the best dance squad in our town. We had gone up against other towns and had always won. We had spent most of that summer practicing new routines and making new music mixes. We had loved that summer. But all that shattered at the end of the summer. It was the end of all forty of us being together. That day was the end of our group. We had been shattered into pieces. We had lost Joseph & his sister Dreamer. They and their parents had been killed in a car accident that the whole nation heard about. But it hit me the worst. We all stopped dancing after that day. I had lost my boyfriend and we had all lost our best friends. We separated during the year and the other dance troupes in the areas surrounding our town started to get competitive. It had been their idea to have a benefit concert for our group. They had wanted us to get back into the swing of things. We felt compelled to go for one more shot. But we wouldn't be getting that shot. My parents sent me to Ft. Marshal, hoping to raise my spirits. My spirits had already been raised when I heard that we were getting back into the dancing business. I hated my parents for sending me away from my friends and from dancing. But dancing wasn't all the way out of my life. If I'd known they were to follow, I wouldn't have started to teach kids at Ft. Marshal how to dance the way we used to dance as a whole. But then again, maybe they could learn some of our routines and join our Dance Troupe and help us win the Charleston Dance Competition.

**Summer Begins: Arriving At Ft. Marshal:**

I drove through the gates of Ft. Marshal looking for the Sherwood Residence. I knew what I was there for. Mr. Sherwood had kicked his son out of the house. Mr. & Mrs. Sherwood were good friends with my father, a retired Army Lieutenant. I had everything that I would need in my black 2007 Freightliner Sport Classic P2 with lime green flames shooting backwards from the engine. I had attached our trailer to it. I couldn't sleep in there house, so I was going to be sleeping in the trailer. I probably had the biggest truck on the base. At the age of sixteen, I was the only one of my friends that had a truck like this. They had all been jealous when my father had driven it to school and given it to me for my sixteenth birthday. The only problem was, was that Joseph would never be able to ride in it. But I always made sure I kept the promise ring he had given to me on a chain dangling from the rearview mirror.

Inside, the seats were covered with tan leather, the dash was plastic like all trucks are, and the radio was an MP3/CD Player/Radio--in fact I had one of my MP3 mixes playing at the moment. I had the Pharos GPS 150, a DVD Player in the dash so I could watch a movie with my friends if I didn't want to be disturbed by my parents, R1 Subwoofers, cup holders for every seat three in the back, two front seats, all my windows except the window shield were tinted so nobody could see into my truck if they looked in and I got chrome spinners, so every time I drove somewhere my wheels would look like they were going forward and backwards at the same time.

Being an Army Lieutenant's daughter, you get used to having guns and knives around the house. But my father never thought I'd take up the collecting part of the weapons. Whenever I saw a new sword that I knew I didn't already have, I made sure to buy it or have my father buy it and then pay him back for it. That's what I planned on doing when I was down here. I wasn't just going to sit around and do nothing while I was visiting the Sherwood's. I was going to be as active as I could possibly be. For being sixteen, I was stronger then any of my friends at school, besides those I danced with. And we tended to dress like we were going to be dancing the whole day. That's how I was dressed today. I had on my green camouflage pants with a black halter top tank-top and black boots. I had my long black hair with gold & silver streaks in it in a ponytail, my tattoos were very visible. The tattoo of Lobo, my lion, was on my right shoulder blade, the one of the dragon was on my left shoulder blade. The one on the right side of my neck was a dark pink rose with a lighter pink inside. The one on my left side was of a wolf cub; the one on my right side was of a bear cub. On my right calf was a tiger and two cubs; on my left calf was a bald eagle. I also had tattoos on both of my wrists Celtic knot bracelets. That was all the tattoos my father would let me get. They had all been done in the last six months. It had been my way of rebelling, acting out after Joseph's death. My other friends had tattoos, but not as many as I did. I had a feeling that I wasn't going to fit in on the Army base and frankly I didn't care. It was just that my parents had sent me here, against my will.

I stopped my truck in front of the Sherwood house and turned the engine off. Lobo had been in the back seat sleeping while I had been driving. He'd fallen asleep halfway to Ft. Marshal, but now he was awake. He sat up and looked at me. I got out of the driver's seat and opened the back passenger door. Lobo jumped out and I put the chain around his neck. I grabbed my purse and keys and shut the doors. I should've known they weren't home. I left my truck by the sidewalk and headed down the street, looking for someone that might know where the Sherwood's were at. A lot of people were heading into the Gymnasium of the high school so I followed suit. I stopped right inside the door as almost every head turned my way and quietness settled over the crowd. I cocked my eyebrows and moved forward. Lobo stayed by my side as we walked towards a group of women, who hadn't looked my way.


	2. The Sherwood Residence

**The Sherwood Residence:**

**The Gymnasium:**

Denise Sherwood and her friends had looked at me only briefly before the Army Base Commander found his way to my side with two armed soldiers. They weren't too happy that I was there, especially since lions weren't aloud in South Carolina. All I did was look at them, in a smart alick way and tightened my grip on Lobo's leash. Lobo sat down and stayed next to me, keeping his eyes very attentive.

"Ma'am, you're going to need to come with us."

"And why may I ask do I have to go with you? I haven't done anything wrong. Oh wait, you must think Lobo's is going to kill someone. Well rest assure that Lobo has never harmed anyone except when he was protecting my life. So you see, there is no need to go with you."

"Ma'am, we have orders from Colonel Connors that you come with us. Your truck and trailer are being searched as we speak."

"What the fuck for? I have done nothing wrong. Here I'll even call my father, an Army Lieutenant and ya'll can speak to him. My mother and father sent me down here for a reality check. They thought I was being a little to rebellious, hence all the tattoo's. Look, do you want me to call my father so you can talk to him?"

"That won't be necessary."

"And you would be?"

"I'm Colonel Burton. These men had no reason to search your truck and trailer without first asking you. They should have known better. But you will need to show proof of ownership on the lion."

"Oh, well if that's all that was needed, here." _I said, pulling Lobo's permit from my purse. _"I always carry it on me. And don't worry, Lobo's here on safety issues, for my part, anyways. He's also the sweetest thing to a dog I could get my hands on."

"You'll have to tell me about it sometime. You know, how your parents actually aloud you to have a lion."

"Oh, Lobo's not my only pet. I'm pretty sure your men ran into a few of my other friends in my trailer. We keep in shape together, running obstacle courses, hiking, camping, climbing mountains (which is basically like hiking anyways) and swimming together as well. I have permits for all of my animals if you would like to see them."

"That would be great. And I'm pretty sure Colonel Connors is a little freaked out about your friends. Come on, maybe we can relieve your friends of my second in command."

"Okay, and sorry for going off on your men. I have a tendency to do that."

"Hey, between you and me, they deserved it."_ Colonel Burton said when we were outside and on the way back to my truck and trailer, which was still located outside the Sherwood Residence._

**Meeting My Hosts:**

Mrs. Denise Sherwood was waiting with her friends when we arrived at her house. I got out of Colonel Burton's vehicle and Lobo jumped down next to me. Colonel Connors was waiting with the rest of the men that had tried to search my trailer. The belongings from my truck were on the ground and the swords, which I kept strapped to the back of the truck, above the seat, were in his hands. He was looking at Colonel Burton who had come up to him with me. I grabbed for the swords and one of the men next to him slapped cuffs on me.

"What the hell are you doing Colonel?"

"Arresting this girl for bringing weapons onto base and bringing illegal animals as well."

"She has every right to be here. Her father, a Lt. in the Army, sent her down here to stay with Mrs. Sherwood. As for the weapons, I wasn't told about those. The animals, she has permits for, I'm not so sure about the swords. Now let her go."

"I have permits for the weapons in my truck, if you had bothered to look for them since you didn't seem to mind looking through everything else."

"The guards informed us that you had a lion in your truck so we thought we would just check to make sure you didn't have any other illegal animals with you. Why do you have them?"

"I never leave home without them. They are my safety net wherever I go. They take care of me and I take care of them. As for the swords, I collect them and make sure I buy a new one wherever I travel. Now may I please have my swords back and I will get all my permits out for them."

"Yeah, here. But why do you keep your swords strapped to the back of your truck above the seat?" _Colonel Connors asked._

"Because, if any idiot decides that he's going to take advantage of me I know that I'll at least be a little prepared and protected."

"And the other animals in your trailer? Why do you have them if Lobo is your main protector?"

"They are my friends and I rescued them from poachers after I found them in traps and crying for help and to be let out. So I helped them out and they took a liking to me."


End file.
